normal procedure is to negotiate a resolution which would approve a draft program of action like the one we are talking about, and then urge that member states actually implement the plan.

In this instance, the Belgian delegation proposed the first draft resolution approving the plan of action, but the developing countries wanted to add language to that text which would actually proclaim the decade itself. A number of developed countries, however, did not agree to this idea, so it was decided to have two resolutions, so that one could vote separately on them.

The first resolution would: one, adopt the World Program of Action; two, call upon member states, nongovernmental organizations and organizations of disabled persons, and the United Nations to implement the plan; and three, evaluate the implementation of the plan in 5 years in 1987.

The second resolution was managed on the floor-the United Nations operates something like the House of Representatives doesby the Philippine delegation, and it dealt specifically with the ideas of implementation of the program of action itself. It was this second resolution which caused considerable difficulty, because the idea of a decade of disabled persons was put forward here.

As the U.S. delegate handling this item in the Third Committee of the General Assembly, I gave early notice of a change in the U.S. position on the decade in my general debate speech by saying:

Since July of last year, there has been considerable discussion among disabled persons in the United States about this idea of a decade and a growing feeling that a U.N. decade could provide a framework for national groups to build on. With this in mind, and conscious of the momentum we have started in the United Nations, and on the understanding that no additional regular budget financial resources in the U.N. would be required, I said that my delegation was prepared to join a consensus on the idea of a decade, if one evolves.

I should say that this change in attitude was helped greatly by the work of Harold O'Flaherty, and by the broad-based support given the decade idea by the national organization on disability and all of its constituent members, and in particular Alan Reich, who is a true leader in this field.

At the United Nations itself, I was especially impressed by the importance attached to the decade of disabled persons idea by the developing countries, the 125 nations of the Third World. The delegate from Saudi Arabia, for example, who happened to be blind, spoke with great feeling about how this global action could translate into continuing commitment and new programs for the disabled. His comments seemed to reflect the sentiment of most, if not all, of the representatives of the developing world.

A major difference over the decade idea quickly came to light with the submission of draft paragraphs in support of the decade by Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and the United States, and moves to totally delete the idea-totally delete the language of the decade-put forward by the United Kingdom and Canada. The developing countries quickly lined up behind the Saudis and the Philippines, and it looked for a while as though this could turn into a north-south or rich-poor issue.

The major disagreement took place within the western group itself, however, with the United States, Australia, and Norway strongly favoring the idea of a decade, the United Kingdom,

Canada, and Sweden in opposition, and most other delegations sort of sitting on the fence.

I was finally able to sell the idea that the decade should be viewed as a framework for national action, and then get the developing countries to agree to proclaim a decade on the understanding that no additional resources from the U.N. regular budget would be needed for this purpose.

This, then, actually took care of the concern of the Western group of nations, and the resolution was finally adopted in committee on November 15 by consensus. The plenary of the General Assembly, all 157 nations, then adopted the resolution on December 3, 1982, by consensus. The key paragraph reads as follows:

Proclaims the period 1983 to 1992 as the U.N. decade of disabled persons, as a long-term plan of action on the understanding that no additional resources from the U.N. system will be needed for this purpose, and encourages member states to utilize this period as one of the means to implement the World Program of Action concerning disabled persons.

I do believe that this was a landmark decision taken unanimously by 157 nations, and I would like to make a personal prediction that 5 years from now we will look back on this action to say that this one short paragraph was the most single important action taken by the 37th General Assembly of the United Nations.

Earlier this year, I attended the 28th Session of a 32-nation U.N. Commission for Social Development. This Commission is charged with the responsibility of reviewing the work of the U.N. Secretariat dealing with social issues. At that session, I put forward a resolution which, among other things, calls on other governments, nongovernmental organizations interested in disabled persons, to take action to implement the objectives of the world program and the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons, and invites full and direct participation of disabled persons themselves.

I do have copies here, Mr. Chairman, of the program of action and the various resolutions I have mentioned. We will be happy to make them a part of your report if you would care to do so.1

In conclusion, I would like to say that the U.S. Government has fully supported the various actions taken by the United Nations regarding disabled persons over the years.

We would be pleased to see House Concurrent Resolution 39 adopted by the House and the Resolution adopted by the Senate, and have the Decade of Disabled Persons proclaimed in the United States.

Thank you.

Mr. YATRON. Thank you very much, Ambassador McDonald, for a very informative and excellent statement.

Dr. Jean Elder, as the representative of one of the leading agencies for achieving the goals of the decade, we are glad to have you here today, and we would like to have your statement.

STATEMENT OF JEAN ELDER, COMMISSIONER OF ADMINISTRATION ON DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

MS. ELDER. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for the opportunity to appear before your subcommittee today to express the views of Secretary Heckler and the Department of Health and Human Services on the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons.

On behalf of the Secretary and my colleagues in the Department, I wish to express our support for the Decade and to describe to you briefly how we are proposing to utilize our resources to achieve the long-term goals of the U.N. Decade of Disabled Persons.

The Administration on Developmental Disabilities, which I head, is the departmental focus for programs and issues related to people with disabilities. In my capacity as adviser on broad aspects of policy, I tried to keep abreast of the multifaceted activities within the Department which relate to the interests and service needs of the disabled population of this Nation.

On many fronts, our Department is proceeding to implement the long-term goals within its jurisdictions which are expressed in House Concurrent Resolution 139. Within the Department of Health and Human Services, broadly speaking, are health and social service programs with important implications for disabled

persons.

Many other major programs for the handicapped, as you know, are administered by other cabinet agencies, such as Labor, Transportation, and Education, in addition to the Veterans' Administration, which carries out a significant medical and rehabilitation program for our Nation's veterans.

During the recent International Year of Disabled Persons, followed by the National Year of Disabled Persons, the consciousness of public officials at all levels of government was raised considerably by the attention focused on disabled people. The increased emphasis in programs as well as the rise in public awareness resulted in a heightened level of responsiveness to the needs of America's disabled citizens.

In the Department of Health and Human Services, health-oriented agencies focus special research, demonstration, and training funds on projects related to handicapped persons. The National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration, the Health Resources and Services Administration, the Center for Disease Control, and the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration expended a significant portion of their funds on seeking answers to the cause and treatment of disease and other handicapping conditions.

Many of these projects had international implications and were carried out jointly with scientists and officials of other nations. During a time of fiscal restraint on Government spending, the National Institutes of Health budget in the current year was increased from $3.64 billion to $4 billion. The increase was an indication of our commitment to health research.

On the social services side, the Department will continue to pursue its policy of bringing persons with disability out of institutions and into the community, into the least restrictive environ

ment possible as mandated by the Congress. Many of the most critical problems which confront handicapped persons in living their lives to the best of their capabilities cannot be addressed medically. There are problems of education, of housing, of access, transportation, job opportunities, recreation, leisure, in general, the compendium of needs and rights which their able-bodied fellow citizens also must address in their daily lives.

To this end, we in the Administration on Developmental Disabilities are pursuing the goal of appropriate placement of disabled persons who need care and assistance. At the same time, we are concentrating our limited resources on the most needy of the handicapped population.

For those who have the capability to increase their self-sufficiency and claim their rights to live within the mainstream community, we are making every effort to make this possible for them. We are working with the states to encourage the service delivery system to provide the support that disabled people need to increase their self-sufficiency and improve the quality of their lives. In addition, the private sector has an important role to play in making the state and local public agencies improve the quality of life for disabled people.

Mr. Chairman, this is a commitment which we reaffirm here before your distinguished subcommittee. It will surely take more than a decade to accomplish, but with steadiness of purpose and the cooperation of the Congress, the Department of Health and Human Services will continue to move toward the goal of achieving the objectives of the Decade of Disabled Persons. I thank you.

Mr. YATRON. Thank you, Dr. Elder, for an excellent statement. Secretary Conn, the Department of Education has jurisdiction over a number of programs of great importance to disabled persons. I want to thank you for being here, Secretary Conn.

STATEMENT OF GEORGE CONN, ACTING ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION AND REHABILITATIVE SERVICES, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Mr. CONN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to say before I begin my formal statement that I was injured on active duty while serving with the U.S. Air Force at age 23, and have been disabled for 27 years. I additionally serve as an appointee of the Commission on Purchase From the Blind and Other Severely Disabled, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, the Committee on Comprehensive Rehabilitation of the Veterans Administration, and cochair the Subcommittee on the Handicapped of the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission.

Mr. Chairman and members of the subcommittee, it is a pleasure for me to appear before you today to represent Secretary Bell and to present the Department of Education's plan for implementation of the U.N. Proclamation designating 1983 to 1992 as the Decade of Disabled Persons.

At this time, however, it is important, and I think it would be useful to the members of the subcommittee, to review the past

decade of effort in the United States on behalf of physically and mentally handicapped individuals.

Beginning in 1968, with the passage of the Architectural Barriers Act, the ensuing 11 years was truly the decade of the disabled throughout the Nation. In 1973, the Rehabilitation Act, Public Law 93-112, was broadened, and thereafter amended in 1974 to include title V, which is considered the equivalent of a bill of rights for handicapped persons.

This legislation was soon followed by Public Law 94-142, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, and a congressional call for a White House Conference on Handicapped Individuals. The White House conference was structured to allow each of the 50 States to conduct a statewide conference for the purpose of discussing issues affecting disabled Americans in every aspect of their lives. It was my pleasure to serve as planning director and special assistant to the executive director of that conference from 1975 to 1977.

Recommendations developed at the State level were forwarded to Washington for discussion and inclusion in an extensive and comprehensive report to the White House and the Congress in late 1977. It is estimated that 100,000 disabled individuals, parents, spouses, other relatives, professionals, and other service-providers participated in the 50 State conference and the White House conference in Washington, D.C. Never in the history of the world have so many members of a particular subpopulation group, in this case the disabled, assembled in such numbers to address their specific needs and problems.

These activities, including the 1978 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act, which among other things established the means to put in place a network of independent living centers across the 3,000mile length and 1,500-mile breadth of our country, led indirectly to the International and National Year of Disabled Persons. Indeed, the past 10 to 15 years in the United States has dramatically changed attitudes toward disabled people, promoted their integration into all aspects of our society, and provided extensive opportunity for such persons to participate in public education, all manner of occupations, recreational activities, and consumer affairs.

The Department of Education supports this effort, and will continue to place special emphasis on initiatives in special education, vocational education, the Federal-State rehabilitation program, independent living_centers, research through the National Institute of Handicapped Research, and a transitional program of building rehabilitation and job placement components in the private sector through projects with industry.

In addition, the Department has placed a high priority in two areas of education. The first is devoted to developing excellence in education. The second is to address the need to begin to deal with the subject of adult illiteracy in the United States. Both subjects directly affect persons with developmental, sensory, and learning disabilities and other conditions related to vision, hearing, and or speech impairments, and in some cases upper extremity dexterity. All such disabilities, which affect an individual's ability to communicate ideas from one individual to another, have an effect on excellence in education and one's relative degree of literacy which